Conceptest: Relative Plate Motion

ConcepTest questions by David McConnell, David Steer , Walter Borowski, Jeffrey Dick, Annabelle Foos, Jeffrey Knott, Alvin Konigsberg, Michelle Malone, Heidi McGrew, Kathie Owens, and Stephen Van Horn

Created with funding from NSF CCLI Award #0087894.
This material was originally created for Starting Point:Introductory Geology
and is replicated here as part of the SERC Pedagogic Service.

Question:

A and B represent locations on two separate plates. The curved black line represents the plate boundary. The arrows show the directions of plate motion and the rates of motion are indicated.
Graphic for Relative Plate Motion concepTest question.
What kind of plate boundary is present between A and B?
a. transform
b. convergent
c. divergent
d. none

Student Responses:

The correct response is B.
Percentage of students choosing this answer. (%Before Discussion/%After Discussion)

a. (14%/4%) b. (32%/59%) c. (22%/4%) d. (32%/33%)

in a small (< 60 students) environmental geology class

If you would like to help acquire more Before and After statistics for this example, please contact the authors (see link at top of page).

References and Notes:

The use of ConcepTests and Peer Instruction is discussed in detail on the ConcepTest page.

McConnell, D.A., Steer, D.N. and Owens, K.A., 2003, Assessment and Active Learning Strategies for Introductory Geology Courses, Journal of Geoscience Education, 51(2), 205-216.

McConnell, D.A., Steer et al., 2006, Using Conceptests to Assess and Improve Student Conceptual Understanding in Introductory Courses, Journal of Geoscience Education, (54(1), 61-68.